


mei, deus.

by lakshmi



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, LOVE HIM, Major SHB spoilers, hythlodaeus always has the answers, inner conflict, potential sineater wol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:07:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23947429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lakshmi/pseuds/lakshmi
Summary: this is my piece for the ktísis zine! please enjoy <3He conjures her trees, flowers, babbling brooks, birdsong; reminiscent of a long forgotten garden only they shared.
Relationships: Hythlodaeus & Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Kudos: 10
Collections: Ktísis: A Final Fantasy XIV Fanzine





	mei, deus.

He conjures her trees, flowers, babbling brooks, birdsong; reminiscent of a long forgotten garden only they shared. Forget-me-nots are soft under her fingertips, the wind softly pulling at blonde tresses. She does not remember this place, but the forlorn look in his eyes insists she should. The warrior of darkness is not gentle as his breezes, nor bright as the stars he places in the sky. She is an epicenter of grief, regret, guilt; poorly concealed anger and near-boiling rage. She chooses not to acknowledge the softness with which she graces the children she meets, nor the pride in her friends and allies – why should she, when that is not who she is? Not in her entirety, at least.

She is on the verge of breaking.

The light will consume her, they both know this; he offers her succor in her time of need, loath as she is to admit it. It is a pain she has always known grown tenfold. Even still, they do not acknowledge such a thing. Not when it cannot touch her here, in his garden, in his arms. She is not weak, she is not soft, she is …

Tired, she thinks.

‘ Tia, ‘ he whispers into her hair, ‘ What do you remember? ‘

What does she remember? She scours her memory for something that isn’t suffering, loss, longing, regret, guilt -- and cannot find any such instance. ‘ What am I supposed to remember? ‘ She asks, in lieu of a truthful answer; vulnerability is a dangerous thing, after all. he has her right in the place she fears most.

She closes her eyes, and the present world fades to white.

-

In another time, Adrestia rests with her head in her hands. She doesn’t need to speak for Hythlodaeus to read her emotions. She emits uncertainty and irritability to a degree he’s far from familiar with; normally, any such output would be well contained. He understands why that isn’t the case now – he doesn’t expect her to be stable in the face of the End of Days, of all things.

He hesitates to reach out to the Fourteenth, as she is an enigma to all – save Hades, as it were. But she has not chosen to confide in her counterpart. Adrestia is here, instead. Hythlodaeus tips his head in her direction.

‘ Speak your mind, Adrestia. ‘ He intones.

Her reply is immediate. ‘ I cannot do what they ask of me. ‘

She drops her head, resting elbows against her knees. He, after a moment of thought, carefully pulls the hood from her hair and brushes away stray tresses of black from the plane of her countenance. Adrestia has changed since taking up the mantle of Fourteenth; more refined, perhaps, but there is a longing in her gaze that he has no memory of.

Hythlodaeus sighs. ‘ Describe it to me. ‘ There’s a tenderness to his tone that is typical of his character, reflected in the gentleness with which he regards his creations. Adrestia would be lying if she were not jealous -- she is all sharp edges, while he is the delicate seafoam atop the waves.

‘ They ask me… to destroy in order to create. ‘ Such are the proposed laws of nature, she understands, but it leaves a sour taste in her mouth. ‘ I will not sacrifice thousands for a mere wandering fancy of a wish for salvation only to put another thousand under the soil. I cannot. I will not. ‘

‘ Hades endorses this. ‘ It is not a question -- he already knows the answer. ‘ And what of Venat? ‘

‘ I proposed an alternative, to which only Venat has responded willingly. ‘ Her response is short, clipped. She is not forthcoming and he does not blame her. ‘ What I ask of them is great. Insurmountable. I would not be troubled were they to leave the venture entirely. ‘

He shifts his hand to pull her closer; the closest of brethren under an endless sea of stars. He cannot see the flow of aether in the way she can, but he can feel the few tendrils reach out and brush against them both, only to immediately retract.

Hythlodaeus sighs once more.

‘ Your hands, Adrestia, have created much and more for the good of Amaurot. They are far more equipped to protect the future of this star than any. ‘

She turns to meet his gaze. ‘ I hate to destroy all I have created. It feels… not within our nature. ‘ Adrestia admits, quietly. ‘ I will destroy my career, my relationships, my reputation - ‘

‘ But you will create a future for others. A new world will be born of your actions. Have a little faith, my friend. You are seeking an aversion to bloodshed; that in and of itself is a feat to be proud of. Care not for what Hades seeks to do. But…’

A heavy pause sits between them. ‘ Do take care that you do not destroy yourself in the process. ‘

Her eyes slip closed, and she nods.

\--

‘ I did what I had to. ‘ The warrior cries, when she reawakes; there is still pain in her gut and she can’t discern whether it is grief or the slow turning she knows cannot be put off much longer.

But Emet-Selch is no longer there, at her side.

‘ I did what I had to. ‘ She whispers. For him. For all of her people.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much again ! feel free to check out my twitter @opheliamardun for more content <3 stay safe and healthy.


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